Sometimes All You Can Do Is Laugh

Why You Should Wait Until You’re Financially Set To Have Children

You may have stumbled upon this blog post for several reasons. Perhaps your SO is ready to start a family but you’re panicked because you just saw that raising a child actually costs something like $2 million. Maybe your co-worker is upset that their daycare cost went up $15 for the second time this year and you can’t wrap your mind around that cost. There’s no doubt that having a child is expensive and that alone would be a valid reason to hold off on bringing a life into this world.

But if your plan is to wait until you’re “financially stable” or “set” BEFORE having children, good luck to you. The truth is, no matter how “set” you are, the costs of having a child on paper are the most daunting numbers you’ll ever see. Most people can’t afford to have kids – but that’s part of it. You sacrifice, you go without so your children don’t have to. Somehow you make things work. Things don’t make a childhood great, a home full of love makes a great childhood. There’s no shame in buying things second hand, cutting coupons, and bargain hunting if it helps relieve the financial stress that may come along with raising a child.

So why should you wait until you’re finaicially set to have children? The reasons are endless. But, it goes the other way too. Having kids doesn’t mean that opportunities to grow come to a halt. In fact, children light a fire under your butt that you didn’t know was there. They inspire you to do better and motivate you to achieve more.

I’m not saying that you should make the choice to bring a life into the world when you can hardly take care of yourself. All I’m saying is that life is always changing. Your very secure job may be eliminated 6 months from now, and in the same breath you may get that huge promotion you’ve been waiting for. If you’re looking for reasons to not have children, there’s no shame in that. It’s perfectly fine to not be ready to start a family. But if your main concern is all the “extras” that go along with kids, just take comfort in knowing that the struggle is real for MOST of us. The more your income grows, typically the more your expenses grow too. You just find a way to get through it and make those tiny humans happy.